Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach is an archival institution, literature and information on the oeuvre of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner gathers, each created by the artist works documented and supervised publications and exhibitions. Another area of responsibility is the clarification of authenticity issues relating to the artist's work.
History and location
The archive has existed since 1979. Building on the documentation collected by Roman Norbert Ketterer in the Stuttgart Art Cabinet until 1962 and in Campione d'Italia on Lake Lugano until 1979 , it was managed by Wolfgang Henze until 1993, affiliated to the Galleria Henze in Campione d'Italia. Since then, it has been affiliated to the Henze & Ketterer Gallery in Wichtrach near Bern , still under Henze's management . It includes documents on the artist's oeuvre as well as a library on his work and expressionism in general .
Scope and purpose
By lucky coincidence, practically the entire oeuvre of the German painter and sculptor Ernst Ludwig Kirchner has come down to us. This comprises a total of over 25,000 works, including around 1,500 paintings (including the back), 10,000 drawings, pastels and watercolors, over 2,000 prints, numerous sculptures and an estimated 12,000 sheets of sketchbooks. In the case of the graphics, it can be observed that in the vast majority of cases they are unique pieces , created by the artist himself, which differ greatly from one another in terms of printing condition, coloring and paper. This distinguishes the artist as one of the most productive of the 20th century. All of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's works were transferred from Berlin to Davos in 1920, where the artist had already retired in 1917. During the Second World War , the early work was spared destruction by bombing and largely also from confiscation and destruction by the Nazi regime.
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach is a private archive that aims to collect, document and systematically supplement all of the texts and images of his works that have ever appeared by and about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, as well as information on participation in exhibitions. At the same time, it supports exhibitions and publications on the artist and expressionism with information and takes care of questions of authenticity that arise on an international level.
Authenticity issues
The total in the estate surviving works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner were from 1946 to 1954 by Georg Schmidt by Basel Kunstmuseum, inventoried, head and provided with the estate stamp. This stamp affixed to all works not sold by his wife Erna Kirchner during the artist's lifetime or afterwards, provided with a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters in ink, already guarantees the authenticity and authenticity of the work. This is supported by further inventory numbers added in pencil by the estate administrator Roman Norbert Ketterer. Based on the examination of the image carrier and using "scientific and criminological" investigations, but also from appraisals critical of style, authenticity confirmations and certificates are issued.
Cooperation with the Kirchner Museum Davos
There is close cooperation between the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive and the Kirchner Museum Davos . There are some additional documents such as certificates, correspondence, manuscripts and copies of films and television documentaries on the life and work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Henze: The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach / Bern and the clarification of the authenticity questions about Kirchner. In: Image and science, research contributions to the life and work of Alexej von Jawlensky. Volume 1, Locarno 2003, pp. 35-44.
- ↑ Wolfgang Henze: The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach / Bern and the clarification of the authenticity questions about Kirchner. In: Image and Science. Research contributions on the life and work of Alexej von Jawlensky. Volume 1, Locarno 2003, pp. 35-44.
- ↑ Source: Website of the Kirchner Museum Davos Archive ( Memento of the original from June 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and library ( memento of the original from June 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
